Just as there are physical laws that govern the physical universe, so are there spiritual laws which govern your relationship with God.

1. God Loves You and Has a Wonderful Plan for Your Life

(References contained in this booklet should be read in context from the Bible, God's Word, wherever possible.)

God's Love
God says, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with loving kindness" (Jeremiah 31: 3).

God's Plan
(Christ speaking) "I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly" (that it might be full and meaningful) (John 10:10).

Why is it that most people are not experiencing the abundant life?
Because...

2. Man is SINFUL and SEPARATED from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God's love and plan for his life.

Man Is Sinful
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

Man was created to have fellowship with God; but, because of his stubborn self-will, he chose to go his own independent way and fellowship with God was broken. This self-will, characterized by an attitude of active rebellion or passive indifference, is an evidence of what the Bible calls sin.

Man Is Separated
"For the wages of sin is death" (spiritual separation from God) (Romans 6:23).

God is holy and man is sinful. A great gap separates the two. Man is continually trying to reach God and the abundant life through his own efforts - for example, good works, ethics, philosophy, etc. But despite all his efforts, man is not able to bridge this gap.

The third law gives us the only answer to this problem...

1. Jesus Christ is God's ONLY provision for man's sin. Through Him you can know and experience God's love and plan for your life.

He is Unique
More than 300 prophecies concerning the details of Jesus Christ's life, all made through prophets who lived hundreds of years before Him, were fulfilled exactly In His life:

His victorious resurrection from the dead, and His ascension into heaven.

"Christ died for our sins...He was buried...He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures... He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred..." (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).

All of these truths point to the fact that...

He Is the Only Way to God
"Jesus said to him, 'l am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me'" (John 14:6).

John the Baptist testified concerning Jesus, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29).

God has bridged the gap which separates us from Him by sending Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins. "He (Christ)...offered one sacrifice for sins for all time" (Hebrews 10:12).

It is not enough just to know these three laws...

4. We must individually RECEIVE Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord;then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives.

We Must Receive Christ
"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:12).

We Receive Christ Through Faith
"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9).

We Receive Christ by Personal Invitation
(Christ is speaking) "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him" (Revelation 3:20).

Receiving Christ involves turning to God-repentance-and trusting Christ to come into our lives, to forgive our sins and to make us what He wants us to be. It is not enough to give mental agreement to His claims, nor to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will.

These two hearts represent two kinds of lives:

Which heart best represents your life?
Which heart would you like to have represent your life?

The following explains how you can receive Christ:

You Can Receive Christ Right Now Through a Prayer of Faith (Prayer is talking to God)

God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. The following is a suggested prayer of faith:

"Lord Jesus, I need you. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I confess and repent of my sins, and I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be. Amen."

If it does, pray this prayer right now by faith, and Christ will come into your life, as He promised.

How to Know that Christ is in Your Life

As you prayed, did you receive Christ into your life? According to His promise in Revelation 3:20, where is Christ right now in relation to you? Christ said that He would come into your life. Would He mislead you? Therefore, how do you know that God has answered your prayer? (The trustworthiness of God Himself and His Word, the Bible. In other words, God keeps His Promises).

The Bible Promises Eternal Life to All Who Receive Christ

"And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life" (I John 5:11-13).

Thank God often that Christ is in your life and that He will never leave you (Hebrews 13:5). You can know on the basis of His promise that Christ lives in you and that you have eternal life, from the very moment you invite Him in. He will not deceive you.

What about feelings?

Do Not Depend upon Feelings

This promise of God's Word, the Bible-not our feelings-is our authority. The Christian lives by faith (trust) in the trustworthiness of God Himself and His Word. This truck diagram illustrates the relationship between fact (God and His Word), faith (our trust in God and His Word) and feeling (the result of our faith and obedience) (John 14:21)

The truck will run with or without the trailer. However, it would be useless to attempt to pull the truck by the trailer. In the same way, we, as Christians, do not depend upon feelings or emotions, but we place our faith (trust) in the trustworthiness of God and the promises of His Word.

Now That You Have Received Christ

The moment that you receive Christ by faith, as an act of the will, many things happened, including the following:

Can you think of anything more wonderful that could happen to you than receiving Christ? Would you like to thank God in prayer right now for what He has done for you? The very act of thanking God demonstrates faith.

Now what?

SUGGESTIONS FOR CHRISTIAN GROWTH

Spiritual growth results from trusting Jesus Christ. "The righteous man shall live by faith" (Galatians 3:11). A life of faith will enable you to trust God increasingly with every detail of your life, and to practice the following:

In Hebrews 10:25, we are admonished to forsake not "the assembling of ourselves together ..." Several logs burn brightly together; but put one aside from the burning flames, and the fire in the log goes out. So it is with your relationship to other Christians. If you do not belong to a local fellowship of believers, do not wait to be invited. Take the initiative; contact or visit a nearby church where Christ is honored and His Word is preached. Start this week, and make plans to attend regularly. You will want to share your discovery